Thursday, November 22, 2012

Perfect weather in downtown Oklahoma City today for the run! We helped the marines on their quest to collect over 2000 toys for their Toys for Tots drive, made calorie room for our turkey dinner tonight, and are heading home with 3 finisher medals (my first! Woo hoo!)
Now it's the hour drive back home, a shower, baking some pumpkin pies and green bean casserole, and heading out to stuff our weary bodies!! Hooray!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
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Saturday, November 17, 2012

1. I have bangs now. There were intended to hide the forehead wrinkles, but they like to swoop to the opposite side. Go figure.

2. Ev gets out of school 25 minutes before sister does. We usually sip our Happy Hour slushies and hang out racing hot wheels in front of the school. But now that it's gotten colder, we wait in the car, and he watches videos on my ipad.

Some days, that is.

3. I have an annual fundraiser/fall feast at school every year. The fam got drug out with me to gobble up the goodness!

4. Emma's class got to go to the Tulsa Ballet and the Gilcrease Museum for a field trip. I took off work to go along. Em & Isabel wore the same outfit! Adore.

5. A little boy and his cereal.

That's all.

6. First after-school playdate at our house!

7. This blog is private. We enjoyed our visitors, but there are always a few strange ones that we could live without. If you know someone who doesn't have access anymore (cough cough, mindy, cough cough), tell them to email me for access.

Hope you all are enjoying your November. I think I've caught you all up on the goings on.

"I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.

Last Sunday, our sweet Em was baptized. She had been asking for over a year now, but we waited until we were sure that she understood everything that she was symbolizing in this event.

There was a day that she was in the back seat of the van, talking to a friend of hers that was sitting beside her. She told her that she was getting baptized. Her friend, who is not Christian, began asking her all about it. As Emma went on, her friend asked more and more questions (Who is Jesus? Why did he die? For YOU? I don't get it...), and she replied to EVERY question with complete, accurate, heartfelt, honest answers, and hubby & I looked at each other and we knew that moment that she was ready.

Her 3rd grade teacher is a big role model in her life, and she had decided long ago that Ms. W would be the one to baptize her. (Luckily, Ms. W was equally as excited!)

We chose the 8:30 time slot because it was less crowded, and we wanted to be sure we had seats for everyone who wanted to come witness the event.

That morning was a perfect one for sleeping in. It was cold, rainy, and dreary, and we were getting quite a few last minute texts from people who couldn't make it for one reason or another, which made it all the more special for those that climbed out of their warm beds early that cold morning to be there, including Grandad (who actually told her he wouldn't be there!)

Ev was excited that he got to stay in the "big church" this time!

The water was very, very cold. The heater had broken the day before, and even after mixing in several large canisters of boiling water, it was still cold.

(I say this as though I was in it - which I wasn't - but the girls told me afterwards through their chattering teeth!)

A small talk from Ms. W....

Down with the old...

Up with the new...

Raised to walk in the way of light and truth.

I had never had a time when my eyes were literally streaming tears down my cheeks before this day.

I was so proud. So touched. So blessed.

We are so proud of you, sweet daughter. You have made a big decision, and it was in full faith. Your conviction has always been strong, and your love for God stronger still. You will do wonderful things for this world and heaven, too.

Friday, November 9, 2012

This morning was a very important day for the einsteins. It was the annual veteran's day assembly at school, which in recent years has become a big day because Uncle Kurt comes to the school!

Em is always SO proud that he gets to stand up and recognize her in front of the entire school, and people all day long ask her questions about him.

This year was Evan's first, and it looked like he had a lot of fun!

(Besides, who isn't the coolest kid in class when your uncle wears CAMO?!?!)

Thank you so much, big brother, for taking off work to come and spend your day here for your niece and nephew, who appreciate it more than you know, and for staying safe in Afghanistan so you could come home to us all (with our new grey hairs and all!)

I kinda a little bit failed this Halloween, as far as a photog mom goes...(even moreso as an asian photog mom!), because I got very few photos. That being said, we had a jam-packed day of treats and treats and more treats!

The einsteins had their classroom parties in the afternoon, and let me tell you, it's a lot of exercise running from room to room to balance the parties of two kiddos, one upstairs and one an airport terminal away! (Especially when you leave your purse at one, and then the other, and then again...)

After school, the van became the changing room as they slipped on costumes for the annual Halloween party at hubby's work. Evan had gone to school as a baker for nursery rhyme day (think three men in a tub...), and so he really just needed to re-clothe while em slipped on her bipolar costume. This day, I'm going to go with the white as her real personality...

They had bags full of candies and toys by the time they left (and those engineers, I tell you - they all give the good stuff! Snickers, Goodbars, Heath bars...hold my grumbling belly back!)

A quick stop before trick-or-treating was to "boo" our neighbor. This year it was our favorite baby of the 'hood - Joseph! A bucket full of Halloween rattles and teethers, a doorbell ring, and a fast running Em...

We had a couple friends over to help rid the neighborhood of their candy, and they all looked hauntingly adorable...(except that creepy guy i forced them all to stand by down the street...)

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

It's amazing to me that November is already here. Another year is coming to a close, and it goes so quickly after Halloween.

This is my favorite time of year, and yet it always creates changes in my world that you'd think a normal person would avoid, and yet, here I am again, going on and on about my love for fall and all its glory. I'm a planner. A planner and a stresser. And if those plans don't pan out, I stress even more.

And I'm a list-er. make a list, check it off, move on, and don't stop until it's all done.

But fall seems to bring with it the longest list ever known to man and all the changes and ad libs that go along with it.

Did I remember to get the music teacher a gift for Christmas? A sausage tray?? He's vegetarian!!

It's an endless slew of chaos that kills me every year, but it's my favorite because, well, I guess it makes it all worth it. When my kids are happy that the sweet potatoes have extra marshmallows, when we get to see the smiles on the faces of people that we have blessed over the holidays with a note, a card, a small gift, or when the mailman drinks his hot cocoa without reserve right from the mailbox where a little hand placed it just minutes before he arrived.

It's all so special. Every second.

Every plan, every check mark,

every plan B (or C or D), every tear, every smile, every hug.

Every life.

It all comes around during fall, when the earth sheds its past year and sleeps until the renewal of things to come. There's death and chill, but always the hope and anticipation for newness, rebirth, and warmth to come.

Happy fall, everyone - and I'll have to catch you up on all the hallo-goodness we had around here last week!!

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